A balance and dynamometer may be seen by reference to West German Patent Publication DE Gbm. G 86 33 612.6. In the dynamometer disclosed therein, an elastic parallel guide for reducing the input force being measured is formed from two thicker deflecting springs and two thinner deflecting springs. A single strut is positioned approximately in the center of each of the thinner deflecting springs. Each strut, in turn, supports a wire clamping head thereon. A laterally oscillating wire is clamped between the wire clamping heads. The thicker deflecting springs, thinner deflecting springs, struts and wire clamping heads are fabricated from a single piece of material.
The disadvantage to the dynamometer configuration disclosed in DE Gbm G 86 33 612.6 is each strut which supports a wire clamping head experiences a flexural stress. As a result of this flexural stress, each wire clamping head which is supported by a single strut carries out a pitching motion when an input force to be measured by the dynamometer is introduced. In this manner, each end region of the laterally oscillating wire experiences a flexural stress. The flexural stress may also introduce error into any prior determination of the length of the laterally oscillating wire by causing the upper and lower edges of the laterally oscillating wire to no longer be located exactly above one another.
It is an object of this invention to provide a dynamometer having strut support means which support a wire clamping head thereon such that the aformentioned disadvantages are prevented and the wire clamping heads thereby supported are allowed to shift only in a direction parallel to the head.